Who We Are
The Spruce Pets offers practical, real-life tips and training advice to help you care for your pet. Our 20-year-strong library of over 3,000 in-depth articles covers a variety of topics and pet animals, from cats and dogs, to betta fish and pot bellied pigs. Our team of writers, including trainers, Registered Vet Technicians (RVTs) and Doctors of Veterinary Medicine (DVMs), produce and update informative articles full of valuable insights honed from years of hands-on experience.
The Spruce Pets is part of The Spruce family of sites, including The Spruce, The Spruce Eats and The Spruce Crafts, covering home decor, home repair, recipes, cooking techniques, pets and crafts. The Spruce brand is one of the top 10 largest lifestyle properties online according to comScore, a leading Internet measurement company. Our 45+ expert writers have extensive backgrounds and expertise in their topics, including professional contractors, landscapers, chefs, cookbook authors, registered vet technicians, and well known crafting bloggers.
Awards
- 2018 Communicator Award, Winner, General Lifestyle
- 2018 W3 Award, Silver Winner, Website Features, Visual Appeal - Experience
- 2018 Davey Award, Silver Winner, Websites-Lifestyle
- 2019 Communicator Award, Winner, User Experience
- 2019 Telly Award, The Spruce x Lowe's Clever Kitchen Hacks Campaign (Campaign: B2C - Bronze, Single: How-to/DIY - Silver, Single: B2C - Silver)
- 2019 Folio: Eddie and Ozzie Awards, Finalist, Instructional/How-to
Veterinary Review Board
We know that finding trustworthy veterinary advice online can be difficult-the internet is full of misinformation or personal opinion masquerading as fact. To make caring for your pet easier, we launched The Spruce Pets Veterinary Review Board, comprised of top board-certified vet professionals. Our goal is to provide you with well-researched, fact-checked information so you can keep your pet happy and healthy.
Our Veterinary Review Process
You may notice a badge appearing in some of our content. The badge signifies that a board member has reviewed and edited the article, taking special care to confirm that the information presented is both accurate and up-to-date. Click the link below to learn more about our process.
The Spruce Pets Veterinary Review BoardOur Veterinary Review Board
Meet some of our Veterinary Review Board members below.
Nick Saint-Erne, DVMVeterinarianNick Saint-Erne is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) with 35 years of experience treating dogs, cats, ferrets, rabbits, rodents, reptiles, fish, exotic pets and zoo animals. Nick currently practices at the Arizona Exotic Animal Hospital and is a consulting veterinarian for several zoos and aquariums in Arizona.
In addition to his veterinary work, Nick has owned pet stores and has been involved in the pet industry as a technical writer for the training materials and customer pet care handouts for a major pet store chain. He has worked with the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in drafting programs to improve the care of pets in pet stores and to reduce the risk of spreading zoonotic diseases.
Read moreAnna O'Brien, DVMVeterinarianAnna O'Brien is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) with over 10 years of professional veterinary experience treating horses, dogs, cats, cows, camels, monkeys, honeybees and more. Prior to joining The Spruce Pets Veterinary Review Board, Anna was an associate vet at Link Veterinary Associates, volunteer vet for Adams County Humane Society, and contributing editor for Horse Illustrated.
Anna has worked at various small animal clinics and spent a considerable amount of time as a large animal ambulatory veterinarian in central Maryland and southern Pennsylvania, performing on-farm surgeries such as horn removal, abdominal surgeries, and C-sections, and working with farmers to ensure their herds are following appropriate preventative health programs.
Read moreJennifer Coates, DVMVeterinary Consultant, journalistJennifer Coates is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) with over 25 years of experience in veterinary care and animal welfare. Before joining The Spruce Pets, she was an associate veterinarian at Home to Heaven In-Home Pet Hospice and Euthanasia (CO), Spring Creek Animal Hospital (WY), and Petersburg Animal Hospital (VA), as well as former chief of staff at Healthy Pet Animal Hospital (VA).
Throughout her years of experience, Jennifer has learned that communication is one of the most important parts of being a veterinarian. Only with accurate information, she says, can pet parents be effective advocates for their animals. Jennifer has published several books, short stories, and thousands of web articles that all relate to veterinary medicine, pet care, and the human-animal bond. She has also appeared on radio and television in her role as a veterinary consultant.
Read moreLauren Smith, DVMRelief VeterinarianLauren Smith is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) with over 10 years of experience, and five years of experience writing veterinary content. Before joining The Spruce Pets, Lauren was a veterinarian at Bay Shore Animal Hospital and at VCA Commack Animal Hospital.
After receiving her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree, she worked for two animal hospitals as a full-time general practitioner before starting her own business as a relief veterinarian, where she travels from hospital to hospital providing basic veterinary care to patients when their regular veterinarian cannot be there. She also has experience working in emergency hospitals providing urgent care to animal patients on nights and weekends.
Read moreJoanne Intile, DVM, MS, DACVIMVeterinary oncologist, journalistJoanne Intile is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) with 14 years of experience as a veterinary oncologist. She currently practices as Assistant Clinical Professor of Medical Oncology at North Carolina State University. Before joining The Spruce Pets, Joanne was a private practice oncologist.
While working full time at her last clinic, Dr. Intile also worked as an adjunct instructor in the veterinary science technology program at Suffolk County Community College teaching veterinary practice management, clinical laboratory procedures, and pharmacology. At North Carolina State University, she trains veterinary students, interns, and residents primarily in the discipline of medical oncology, but also plays a significant role in teaching medical communication skills.
Read moreMonica Tarantino, DVMMonica Tarantino is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) with five years of experience as a general practitioner of small animal medicine. She currently works full time as a Level-2 Fear Free certified doctor at an AAHA accredited small animal hospital. Before The Spruce, Monica was a mentor for first-year Animal Medical Hospital veterinary graduates.
Monica has recently begun contributing veterinary content to a number of digital publications, and is eager to share her knowledge with a broader audience. Her interests include emergency medicine, internal medicine, geriatric pet health, and business leadership. She frequently rescues in-need pets, and owns four rescue dogs and two rescue cats with the occasional foster animal for good measure.
Read moreOur Writers
All of our writers were carefully chosen for their extensive experience in their subject areas.
Meet Some of Our Writers
Jenna Stregowski, RVTVeterinary Administrator, Registered Veterinary TechnicianJenna Stregowski is a Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) with more than 20 years of experience working in veterinary medicine and has been writing for The Spruce since it launched in 2017. Prior to The Spruce, Jenna wrote about veterinary medicine for About.com for nine years.
Jenna began her veterinary career working in various animal clinics and hospitals around Atlanta until she earned her RVT certification in 2007. Jenna is currently the Hospital Manager at Inman Park Animal Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. She continues to regularly attend veterinary conferences, seminars, and continuing education courses in order to keep up to date on the latest in veterinary science.
Read moreAdrienne Kruzer, RVT, LVTSenior Veterinary Product Technical SpecialistAdrienne Kruzer is a Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) and Level 2 Fear Free Certified professional and has been writing for The Spruce since its inception in 2017.
Prior to The Spruce, Adrienne wrote about veterinary science and pet care for About.com for 8 years. Over her more than 10 years as a RVT, Adrienne has worked with a wide range of animals-from cats and dogs to exotics like sugar gliders and degus. In addition to her writing for The Spruce, Adrienne works as a veterinary technical specialist for Nutramax Laboratories and gives education presentations to veterinary professionals on a wide variety of topics including ferret nutrition and exocrine pancreatic tissue atrophy in striped skunks. Adrienne received her Associate of Applied Science in Veterinary Technology from Cuyahoga Community College.
Read moreLiz Waynick, RVTRegistered Veterinary TechnicianLiz Waynick is a Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) who currently works full time at a practice located just outside of Cleveland, OH.
Previously, Liz spent the last 10 years working in several multi-doctor veterinary hospitals utilizing her expertise and skills in anesthesia and dentistry as a surgical assistant as well as a dental technician. She passed the Veterinary Technician National Examination in January 2010 and was awarded her license as an RVT, and she completes several hours of continuing education each year in order to better care for her patients.
Read moreEditorial Guidelines
At The Spruce, we take great pride in the quality of our content. Our writers create original, accurate, engaging content that is free of ethical concerns or conflicts. If you ever come across an article that you think needs to be improved, please reach out by emailing [email protected].
Product Reviews
Our product reviews are independent and based on research and product testing - if you visit links within our content, we may receive commissions from your purchases, but we never receive any compensation or consideration for the content of our recommendations. Learn more about our review process below.
The Spruce Product Review Editorial Guidelines & MissionOur Team
Our editorial team has extensive category experience and have worked at leading publications and websites in their field.
Mélanie BerlietGeneral Manager & Vice PresidentPrior to joining Dotdash in 2018, Mélanie was the Chief Editorial Director of Thought Catalog, where she led all content initiatives and managed strategic partnerships.
Mélanie has 15 years of experience creating, managing, and publishing lifestyle content across platforms. She has worked as a producer and writer for brands including MTV, Vanity Fair, Elle, New York Magazine, The Atlantic, Cosmopolitan, Salon, Esquire, and iHeartRadio.
She earned a B.A. in Political Economy from Georgetown University.
Read moreAllison BeanEditorial DirectorAllison is the editorial director for The Spruce, The Spruce Pets and The Spruce Crafts. She joined the company in 2012.
Previously, she worked as a home and registry editor at Brides.com, where she reported on interior design trends and edited their Webby Award-nominated blog.
She started her career in print media at Condé Nast's Brides New York magazine, where much of her work focused on fact-checking articles and interviews for accuracy.
She studied at New York University, and graduated with a degree in journalism.
Read moreSami AllenEditorSami is an editor for The Spruce and The Spruce Pets and joined the company in April 2019.
Before joining Dotdash, Sami worked as senior editor at Swirled, where she led the website's multi-newsletter strategy and edited lifestyle content.
She first began her career at O, The Oprah Magazine as a web producer.
She studied at Penn State University and graduated with a B.A. in journalism and English literature.
Read moreMelissa EpifanoEditorMelissa is an associate editor for The Spruce and The Spruce Crafts. She joined the company in February 2019.
Previously, she worked as the editorial coordinator for College Fashionista at Clique Media Group. There she oversaw the editorial internship program, managed the site's editorial calendar and posting schedule, and created original graphics for articles.
Her career started in Portland, OR, as an assistant wedding planner for Kelsey Timberlake Events where she ran the blog and designed websites for clients. She has also acted as social media lead for West Elm.
She received her B.S. in journalism from the University of Oregon.
Read moreContact Us
Thanks for dropping by! Whether you have a comment or suggestion to share, we look forward to hearing from you. For more general feedback, feel free to reach out by emailing [email protected] as well.
For press inquiries, email us at [email protected].
If you would rather call us or send us a letter, you can reach us at 1500 Broadway, New York, NY 10036, 212-204-4000.
Write for Us
We're always looking for experienced, qualified online freelance writers who share in our mission to provide practical, real-life tips and inspiration to help you create your best home.
Please note that we do not accept unsolicited guest-authored articles, blogs, infographics, or posts. Email us at [email protected] with the Subject Line: “Writing for The Spruce Pets”
Work With Us
Join our crew of top-notch editors, designers, programmers, and others as we continue to make a difference everyday in the lives of our readers.
View job openings
Advertise With Us
The Spruce Pets offers the highest value to advertisers through a combination of scale, credibility, and intent. Interested in advertising with us? Email us at [email protected] or check out our media kit to learn more.
View our media kit
About Dotdash
Dotdash brands help people find answers, solve problems, and get inspired. We reach over 90 million people each month, more than 35% of the U.S. online population, according to comScore, and are one of the largest content publishers on the Internet. Dotdash brands collectively have won more than 50 industry awards in the last year alone, and are among the fastest-growing in their categories. Our brands include Verywell, Investopedia, The Balance, The Spruce, Lifewire, Byrdie, MyDomaine, TripSavvy, Brides, Liquor.com, and ThoughtCo.
Here is an overview of our properties:
Verywell (Health and Wellness): The Verywell family of brands, including Verywell Health, Verywell Fit, Verywell Family, and Verywell Mind, take a human approach to health and wellness content and are a welcome alternative to hyper-clinical health sites. More than 39 million people use Verywell sites each month to feel better and be healthier.
The Spruce (Home and Food): The Spruce family of brands, including The Spruce, The Spruce Eats, The Spruce Pets, and The Spruce Crafts combine inspiration with how-to advice to help users create homes they love. Collectively, The Spruce sites reach nearly 28 million people each month.
The Balance (Personal Finance): The Balance family of brands, including The Balance, The Balance Careers, and The Balance Small Business, deliver clear, practical, and straightforward personal financial advice to nearly 21 million people each month.
Investopedia (Investing and Financial Education): Investopedia helps investors understand financial concepts, improve investing skills, and learn how to manage their money. Investopedia reaches nearly 11 million people each month.
Lifewire (Tech): Lifewire provides helpful, actionable tech tips, advice, and answers, without confusing jargon. Lifewire helps nearly 10 million people each month get the most out of their technology.
Byrdie (Beauty): Byrdie is dedicated to all things beauty, inside and out. From hair and makeup to health and wellness, Byrdie takes a fresh, no-nonsense approach to feeling and looking your best. Byrdie reaches nearly four million people each month.
MyDomaine (Lifestyle): MyDomaine makes an aspirational life achievable-and affordable-with curated home-design inspiration, quick and fresh recipes, and healthy relationship advice that awaken a life well lived. MyDomaine reaches 2.5 million people each month.
Liquor.com (Home and Food): Liquor.com is dedicated to good drinking and great living. We inspire, entertain and educate anyone-and everyone-interested in what happens in the glass and out of it.
Brides (Lifestyle): Brides inspires and guides our nearly 4M monthly users as they make decisions from pre-engagement through the honeymoon. Brides is committed to bringing you an inclusive look at the world of weddings, with every type of couple, every type of wedding, and every type of celebration.
TripSavvy (Travel): TripSavvy delivers curated expert advice for family and vacation travelers. We help over eight million people each month have the best travel experiences.
ThoughtCo (Education and Information): ThoughtCo is one of the largest and most comprehensive learning, information, and education sites online. ThoughtCo helps 12.5 million people a month become lifelong learners.
Source: comScore, January 2019 US
Dotdash Press
Read about Dotdash and our family of brands in the news.
Our Senior Management Team
To learn more about our Senior Management Team, visit the Dotdash corporate site.